Snooker Shanghai Open: Higgins to play Trump in final

The final of snooker's Shanghai Masters will be between former world champion John Higgins and rising start Judd trump. The final takes place on Sunday.

The latest tournament on snooker's ranking circuit is the Bank of Communication Shanghai Masters, which is being held in the Shanghai Grand Stage. The final will be played over the best of nineteen frames (the first player to secure ten games will be the winner).

The BBC notes that the final will be played between Scotland's John Higgins, who has won the world championship four times, and England's Judd Trump, who holds snooker's second most important trophy (the UK championship). Given recent form, Trump is a not unexpected finalist; with Higgins, however, the Scottish player has a lean spell of late and he was not tipped to reach the final at the outset of the competition.

To reach the final, John Higgins enjoyed victories over Jamie Jones (5-2), Ryan Day, who was overwhelmed as Higgins won by 5 frames to nil, Ali Carter (5-3), and, in the semi-final, Higgins overcame another former world champion Shaun Murphy by 6 frames to 3. In the match, World Snooker reports, Higgins, who was 2-3 down at one point, knocked in runs of 70, 94 and 135. The break of 135 currently stands as the highest break of the tournament.

Judd Trump's path to the final consisted of wins over Barry Hawkins (5-3), Mark Allen (5-2), Graeme Dott, in a closely fought match which went down to the deciding frame (5-4). In the decider, Trump compiled a century break. In his semi-final, Pro Snooker indicates, Trump beat former world champion Mark Williams 6-4. In the match, Trump was in good form and fired in breaks of 62, 82, 76, 62 and 82.

The winner of Sunday's final will win a first prize of £75,000 (around $122,000). The runner up will receive a purse of £30,000 (around $49,000). Given the pedigree of the two players and their form over the week the final should be an absorbing contest.